معرفی
Hanna Meretoja is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Head of the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Turku, where she also holds a permanent faculty position since 2016. She directs the SELMA research centre, focusing on storytelling, experientiality, and memory. Her academic career includes roles at the Universities of Tampere, Tübingen, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Uppsala, and the American University of Paris, alongside fellowships at Oxford University. Meretoja earned her MA (2001) and PhD (2010) in comparative literature from the University of Turku, with minors in philosophy, art history, and cultural studies.
- Education: MA (2001), PhD (2010) in Comparative Literature, University of Turku
- Research Focus: Narrative ethics, cultural memory, trauma studies, and the intersections of literature with philosophy and history
- Key Projects: Director of SELMA; Principal Investigator for 'Counter-Narratives of Cancer' (2023–2027) and 'Instrumental Narratives' (2018–2022)
Her research bridges theoretical rigor with historical contextualization, emphasizing narratives' ethical and cultural implications. She has published over 90 scholarly works, including monographs like *The Narrative Turn in Fiction and Theory* (2014) and *The Ethics of Storytelling* (2018), and co-edited volumes on literary values and narrative ethics. Her teaching emphasizes comparative methodologies and critical engagement with French, German, and English literature.
Meretoja’s work explores how narratives shape cultural self-understanding, particularly through ethical frameworks analyzing narrative agency, historical representation, and collective memory. She advocates for humanities scholarship that expands imaginative and analytical possibilities while addressing socio-cultural challenges.
